The 110-style connector is frequently used in the telephone industry to electrically interconnect a set of first conductors such as insulated wires to a set of second conductors such as conductive paths on a printed circuit board. Alternatively, the second set of conductors can be a second set of insulated wires. The connector includes a dielectric body and a plurality of slotted beam insulation displacement contacts retained within the body. In use, one or more insulated wires are positioned with one insulated wire above each slotted beam contact. A force is applied to press each insulated wire into a slot of the corresponding slotted beam contact. The slotted beam contact cuts through the insulation and grasps the metal wire therein thereby making good electrical contact with the wire. The body is usually made of a plastic material.
When manufacturing the 110-style connector, each slotted beam contact is inserted into a cavity in the plastic body and must be retained therein to prevent dislodgement during use and handling, preferably allowing minimum movement of the contact within the body cavity. Holding the slotted beam contacts securely within the body cavity can be a particular problem because of the large force required to press the insulated wires into the slots of the slotted beam contacts. If the slotted beam contacts can move too much within the body cavity once inserted and secured therein, their movement can make difficult alignment of the wires with the slots of the contacts.
In the past, the slotted beam contacts have been held within their body cavities by various means. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,964,812 and 5,645,445, the slotted beam contact and the body each have an opening. Once the slotted beam contact is within the body cavity, a pin is inserted in the aligned contact and body openings to hold the contact in place. This must be done for each slotted beam contact and involves an extra part and manufacturing step, thus increasing the cost of manufacturing the connector. Further, the pin allows the slotted beam contact to move within the body cavity more than desirable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,404, the body cavity for each slotted beam contact has a thin walled section that is engaged with a tool after the contact is in the body cavity to sever three sides of the wall section and bend it into engagement with the contact to hold the contact within the body cavity. Again, this involves an extra step and increases cost.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,067, each slotted beam contact has a tab portion that is bent using a punch tool after the contact is inserted into the body cavity to engage the tab portion with the body to retain the contact within the body cavity. This also involves an extra step and increases cost, and the contact still may move within the body cavity more than desired.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,264, each slotted beam contact has a pair of mounting arms that extend into slots in the body when the contact is inserted into the body cavity. Somewhat similarly, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,496,522 and 6,050,842, the slotted beam contacts each have a pair of spring tabs that extend into corresponding apertures in the body when the contact is inserted into the body cavity.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,584, each slotted beam contact has a pair of opposed recesses and within the body cavity for the contact there are a pair of protrusions that snap fit into the recesses to hold the contact in place.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,837, each slotted beam contact has a plurality of bosses that deform the plastic walls of the body when the contact is press-fit into the body cavity and thereby grasp the walls to hold the contact in place.
While a variety of manners exist to retain a slotted beam contact within its body cavity, none retain the contact as securely as desired to prevent dislodgement while still allowing quick, easy and inexpensive manufacturing of the connector, using rapid automatic assembly with minimal parts and assembly steps, and allowing minimum movement of the contact within the body cavity.
This invention relates to an electrical connector, and in particular, to a wire termination block utilizing a plurality of slotted beam contacts for a 110-style connector.
The present invention is embodied in an electrical connector of the type for electrically interconnecting a first set of insulated wire conductors with a second set of conductors. The connector includes a body having a plurality of contact cavities therein, each contact cavity having an open first end for receiving one of the insulated wire conductors of the first set of conductors and an opposite second end. The connector further includes a plurality of insulation penetrating beam contacts, each contact sized to be received within one of the contact cavities. Each contact has a first end portion and a second portion spaced away from the first end portion. The first end portion is configured to displace the insulation and make electrical contact with the wire of one of the insulated wire conductors of the first set of conductors.
The connector also includes a plurality of resilient spring arms. Each spring arm is positioned adjacent to one of the contact cavities, and has a first portion attached to the body and a resiliently movable second portion. The second portion of the contact has a protrusion or engagement member and the second portion of the spring arm is configured to engage the protrusion when the contact is in the contact cavity at which the spring arm is positioned to prevent removal of the contact from the contact cavity. In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion of the spring arm is a resilient hinge portion attached to the body and the second portion is a free end portion.
In the illustrated embodiment, one end of the contact cavity is open and is sized to receive the contact therethrough. Further, the spring arm second portion is positioned to contact and be resiliently moved in response to the spring arm second portion engaging the contact by an amount sufficient to permit insertion of the contact into the contact cavity through the open contact insertion end of the cavity. The spring arm second portion is sufficiently resiliently movable to further allow the spring arm second portion to be resiliently moved by an amount sufficient to disconnect the protrusion from the spring arm second portion to permit the removal of the contact from the contact cavity through the open contact insertion end.
In the illustrated embodiment, each contact has a second end portion with a terminal portion extending out of the contact cavity end and beyond the body. Further, the illustrated embodiment has the body and the spring arms formed with a one-piece construction.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.